Straight answers to practical questions about driving, travelling, parking and getting around Northern Ireland.
The Highway Code recommends dipped headlights in dull daytime conditions to improve visibility.
The Highway Code advises applying the parking brake and releasing the footbrake once following traffic has stopped.
No. Hazard warning lights do not create a parking or stopping exemption.
Yes. Temporary traffic signals controlling a public road must be obeyed by cyclists as well as drivers.
Not as a cycling route. If cycling is prohibited, dismount and walk where pedestrian access is permitted.
The Highway Code advises cyclists not to move into a junction unless they can see that it is safe.
No. A bicycle used on the road must meet the applicable reflector requirements.
No. A circular sign prohibiting cycles means cyclists must not use that route.
Yes. Cyclists should take particular care around pedestrians and give way where necessary on shared routes.
They warn of a slow-moving or stationary vehicle or an abnormal load.
The Highway Code advises increasing your following distance because large vehicles can block your forward view.
It may identify a deafblind person.
Yes. Staggered pedestrian crossings with an offset central refuge operate as two separate crossings.
No. Wait until the bus has moved away and the view of the road is clear in both directions.
Choose a clearer crossing point if possible; crossing between parked vehicles is a last resort requiring extra care.
Yes, a signed contraflow bus or cycle lane may operate in the opposite direction.
They are tactile paving designed to warn and guide blind or partially sighted pedestrians.
No. The Northern Ireland Highway Code says to cross only at the gaps provided in pedestrian safety barriers.
No. The Highway Code says never place warning triangles on motorways.
Yes. The Northern Ireland Highway Code advises against overtaking where the road narrows or a junction creates conflict with another road user.
Apply the handbrake, select reverse gear and turn the steering wheel towards the kerb.
The Highway Code strongly recommends reflective clothing and appropriate lights for horse riders travelling in darkness, rather than treating every item as a standalone compulsory clothing offence.
The Highway Code recommends a light displaying white to the front and red to the rear, carried in the right hand.
The Highway Code advises organised walking groups to place look-outs at both ends.
An organised group walking without a footpath should keep to the left, unlike the general advice for an individual pedestrian to face approaching traffic.
Yes. Number plates must be kept clean and clearly legible.
No. The published Northern Ireland vehicle-maintenance guidance states that rear windscreens and rear passenger windows are not subject to the same visual-light-transmission limits.
It can indicate a wheel-alignment, braking or suspension problem rather than just a tyre needing air.
No. The road-safety guidance requires windscreens and windows to be clean and free from obstructions to vision.
Yes, if towing changes the vehicle's angle and causes the headlights to dazzle.
